Wholesale and Own Brands Customer Service Team Lead

About Us

We are Foodstuffs North Island Limited, the team behind familiar brands such as New World, PAK'nSAVE, Gilmours, and Four Square, operating more than 300 stores across New Zealand's North Island with over 24,000 employees. Family-owned and community-focused, we take pride in celebrating the unique contributions of our people.

Role Overview

As the Team Leader for our Wholesale and Own Brands Customer Service Centre, you will guide a team of 15 Customer Service and Sales Specialists. Your leadership will ensure exemplary customer service and innovative solutions that positively impact our business. Our commitment is to foster an engaging and motivating environment where employees feel empowered and positioned to succeed.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a subject matter expert on all customer service processes and systems, dedicating around 10% of your time to hands-on team support and customer interactions.
• Skillfully organize and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines and service level agreements, ensuring resources are aligned with workflow demands.
• Monitor and drive team performance metrics, providing feedback and actionable recommendations to enhance results and recognize achievements.
• Be available for occasional on-call support during nights or weekends.

Working Conditions

This is primarily a Monday to Friday position, with about 90% of the time working remotely from home. You must have a suitable workspace and reliable internet connection, and be able to attend bi-monthly meetings and training sessions at our Palmerston North office.

Applicant Profile

• Several years of experience in a contact centre or customer-focused environment.
• Demonstrated expertise in operational management and people leadership, including managing diverse teams.
• Strong influencing skills with the ability to engage team members, stakeholders, and senior leadership.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of articulating ideas clearly and collaborating effectively.
• Ability to work independently while maintaining a collaborative approach.
• Capacity to efficiently handle a high volume of quality work and adapt to evolving priorities.
• Proven aptitude for process improvement and implementing efficiencies.
• Skilled in professionally managing and de-escalating customer complaints.

Additional Information

We value diversity and inclusion, welcoming candidates from all backgrounds, including those with disabilities, health considerations, or neurodiversity. Accessibility support is available throughout the recruitment process upon request.

Benefits

• Complimentary car parking facilities.
• Health insurance coverage through Southern Cross.
• Onsite café offering subsidized meals and a 5% discount at our retail locations.
• Flexible working arrangements, a day off on your birthday, and long service leave entitlements.
• Access to internal learning and development programs, flu vaccinations, and social networks known as Tribes.

Recruitment Process Note

We may utilize AI tools to assist in reviewing applications and analyzing candidate materials. These assistive technologies support our human recruitment team, who retain final decision-making authority.